Are you mine?

Chapter 26

I wake up to the morning sun creeping in through the open curtains and I bury my head deeper into my pillows, not ready to face the brightness of a new day yet. As I start recalling last night's events, I feel a sharp pain in my chest but I decide to push it away. I don't want to get sucked into the same cycle once again.

I roll to my side and feel the cold, empty sheets, realizing that Noah must've slipped out at some point during the night. I don't know if I feel disappointed or relieved. It would've been nice to wake up in his embrace, with his strong arms wrapped around me, his warm body pressed to mine, his minty scent swirling around me, his...I'm getting carried away. My point is, as lovely as that could have been, and as much as I don't want to be alone right now, maybe it was for the best. I wouldn't want him to see me in this state, with my hair a mess, my face red and my eyes puffy from all the crying.

I get it, last night must have been too much for him. He's not used to dealing with a girl's emotions. Saying I was a wreck would be an understatement, I just hope I didn't freak him out too much.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I rub my eyes with my thumb and index finger, wishing I could just erase the last twelve hours from my memory.

Gathering up the strength to sit up on the bed, I stretch my arms out and straighten my back before I dangle my feet on the floor, looking for my slippers. I get up and consider changing out of the shirt that I slept in, but it's Sunday, I'm home alone, and I'm too emotionally drained to even bother.

I groggily make my way down the stairs and head to the kitchen to get some breakfast. I plan on spending my day curled up on the couch with my favourite blanket, watching movies and stuffing my face with food to try to fill the void inside me.

I rub my eyes and let out a yawn as I walk into the kitchen."Jesus Christ!" I yell and I jump back startled when I look up.

"Morning sunshine," Noah replies with a cocky smile, looking at me over his shoulder.

"You scared me, I thought you left."

"I did, I went home, changed, picked up my car and a few other things. I also went to the store, you didn't have any bread," he says as I approach him. He's standing in front of the stove, swirling something around in a pan. On the counter beside him sit two plates with fresh toast and he scrapes out the contents of his pan, which I now recognize as scrambled eggs, into each one. I stare in awe as the golden rays come in through the window and surround him in a halo of light, making his smooth skin glow. His blue shirt is loose on his chest but snug around his muscular biceps, and his gray sweatpants hang low on his hips.

"I can feel your eyes burning a hole on my back," he smirks without looking at me and I playfully shove him.

"Way to ruin the moment," I say, rolling my eyes at him and taking a seat on one of the stools on the kitchen island as he laughs.

"No need to be embarrassed, it's only natural to stare." he says, setting one of the plates and a cup of coffee in front of me, "I look quite delightful in the morning." He crosses his arms and stares into my eyes, still holding his devilish and charming grin, and I chuckle."Yes! Mission accomplished," he says pumping his fist and I give him a puzzled look "I got you to smile." he explains as he casually sips his coffee.

"You think you're so charming, don't you?" I say raising an eyebrow, challenging him while I toss my food around the plate with my fork.

"Well," he gets up to come stand in front of me, "the redness on your cheeks keeps telling me I am." he smirks, cupping my cheeks and pulling me closer to plant a kiss on my lips. I close my eyes and relax into his touch, managing to push last night's events to the back of my mind and just focusing on the smell of mint surrounding me. As we pull back, we rest our foreheads against each other's, trying to make the moment last as long as possible.

Noah and I spend the rest of the morning curled up in my living room. He sits in the corner with his back against the armrest and his legs stretched on the couch, and I'm laying between them, resting my head on his chest.I can hear the rhythmic beating of his steady heart as I look up at him from under his chin. He's usually clean-shaved, but today I can see the shadow of his growing stubble. My eyes wander along his handsome features, from his strong and sharp jaw to his broad nose, to his green eyes, Unable to resist, I lift my hand up and trace my index finger across his jaw.

It's moments like this when I realize how strong the effect he has on me is. He hypnotizes me with his beautiful looks and his charming, easy-going personality, and I find myself doing things I would otherwise never do. I've always been very afraid to let my feelings show, but it's different with Noah. Good different.

He looks down at me, our eyes meeting as he gently caresses my cheek and I lean into his touch."Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, breaking the silence.

"Not particularly," I reply with my eyes closed as the back of his hand runs along my jaw.

"I think I get the picture though. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry." he says.

"It's not your fault," I reply feeling uncomfortable that he has even a remote idea of what happened between me and Tyler. I don't want there to be tension between them because of me. "Can you promise me one thing though?" I ask.

"Anything,"

"Can you please not confront him about it? He'll come around, I know it, but I'd like to keep this between him and I. You getting involved will only make things worse."

He takes a deep breath with his eyes closed. "If that's what you want, then I promise I won't say a thing."

"Thank you," I relax nuzzling deeper into his chest as he hugs me tighter.

"Now come on," he says as he untangles himself from me and stands up.

"Where are you going?" I ask from the couch.

He stretches his hand out to me and I take it. "I've got something I need to do. And you're coming with me."